1,000 Chickens Die in Nepal, No Bird Flu Found

Government scientists have confirmed that the death of more than 1,000 chickens at a farm of Nuwakot was not due to bird flu.
No symptoms of bird flu have been found in the dead chickens during a test carried out by the CAHD at Central Veterinary Disease Control Laboratory, director Dhanaraj Ratala said, adding, “They could have died due to Newcastle virus.”

About 600 out of 1,000 chickens at the farm died over a period of three days, which prompted the authorities to conduct an investigation.

[Original report]

There have been reports that around one thousand chickens died at a local poultry farm in Nuwakot, northwest of Kathmandu.

Parewa.com, a Nepali online news portal, reported Sunday that a thousand chickens had already died from Friday midnight and Saturday afternoon. However H5N1, the deadly virus that causes avian influenza popularly known as bird flu, hasn’t been verified as the cause.

Citing independent news services, Parewa.com reported that a sample of the chickens has already been sent to Kathmandu for further analysis. Detailed reports have yet to come.

Reports indicated that chickens from poultry farms owned by Nabaraj Adhikari of Battar Bazaar, Nawalparasi had died instantly, and local veterinarians were unable to determine the cause.

After India and Tibet had confirmed bird flu, Nepal was put on high alert. The poultry business has been reported to be down by 90 percent. However, none of cases has been confirmed as bird flu as of Monday.